Need Help & Giveaway

by | Mar 1, 2023 | Uncategorized

*Update – Colleen won the gift card.

As I’m working on reevaluating how I spend my limited time, I’ve been questioning whether or not I need to cut back on my blog posts. So to make a better-informed decision, I’m asking you–the ones who read my blog for more than giveaway opportunities–a few questions. For everyone who answers, I will put in a drawing for a $10 Baker Book House or Amazon gift card, your choice.

 

  1. Which posts are the ones you tend to read on this blog?
  2. Would you be opposed to only having 2-3 blog posts per month instead of 1-2 weekly? (One would always be the reading challenge post.)
  3. If I am reducing the number of posts that I put up, which type of posts would you want me to post MOST OFTEN? (I’ll probably still do all of them throughout the year at different points, but I want to know what to focus my time on that will be most interesting to you. And please assume the only giveaway posts would be the reading challenge posts.)
    • Author Interviews
    • Character Interviews
    • Behnd-the-Story Posts – Personal and historical ties
    • Book Reviews

 

Thank you so much, and I’d really appreciate it if you would answer all three questions.

RCR: The Underground Railroad Brides Collection

RCR: The Underground Railroad Brides Collection

by | Feb 28, 2023 | Book Reviews, Reading Challenge

It’s time for a new season of the Unlocking the Past Reading Challenge: Unlock an Adventure. I’m so excited to be joining you on an adventure this year with guest reviews from members of our reading challenge participants. If you have a review you’d like to submit for upcoming months, feel free to sign up for a month here and use the Google form to submit your review. As my time has become too limited to do a suggestions post each month, I encourage you to jump over to the Unlocking the Past Reading Challenge page and ask for suggestions from there or from any of a number of amazing reader groups like Avid Readers of Christian Fiction.

*The list of prizes available from my prize shelf can be found here.*

February’s Theme: Underground Railroad

March’s Theme: Gold Rush

The Underground Railroad Brides Collection

Review by: Crystal Caudill

With it being release month for Counterfeit Hope, my reading time was really limited and I only managed to read one novella out of this collection. I’m not a huge fan of straight romances, so the story I ended up choosing wasn’t actually to my taste. I thought by the description there would be some tension and chances of getting caught working for the Underground Railroad with dire consequences, but I either got the stories mixed or the description just didn’t match the story. (Actually, now that I go back, it was the former.) HOWEVER, I think those who love sweet romances will enjoy the ones in this collection. There were a wide variety of characters, including a couple of stories where the main characters were slaves, former slaves, or wealthy black citizens. Given the tendency for historicals to lack that perspective, it was refreshing to see. All the stories sounded interesting, even if not always to my personal preference, and I look forward to reading more of them as my time allows.

Genre: Historical Romance

Plot Overview:

Love Guides Hearts Along the Road to Freedom

Nine historical couples walk the road to love even as they dare to escape and help others break free from the injustices of slavery between 1849 and 1860. From Southern states of Georgia and South Carolina to above the Mason-Dixon Line in Indiana and Pennsylvania, they work within the network known as the Underground Railroad.

Emma Underground by Barbara Tifft Blakey
Follow the Christmas Star by Ramona K. Cecil
Under the Sails of Love by Lynn A. Coleman
The Bakery Bride by Cecelia Dowdy
Place of Refuge by Patty Smith Hall
Free to Love by Terri J. Haynes
The Winter Quilt by Debby Lee
The Song of Hearts Set Free by Darlene Panzera
Freedom’s Flight by Penny Zeller

There is hope for the future when people come together to fight evil, and when men and women find love in the midst of great challenges. And through it all, faith is the key to victory in these stories from nine inspiring Christian authors.

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Giveaway

For your chance to win a print copy, comment with what book YOU read for this month and you will also be entered into the year-end Grand Prize Reader Basket. Use the Rafflecopter below for extra entries and to mark that you left a comment. Entries end on the 7th of each month at midnight EST, and the winner will be drawn sometime that week and notified by email. The winner will be announced don’t the Rafflecopter widget.

*Open to all residents of the contiguous USA, legally able to enter, and an e-book format or Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to those outside that range who are legally able to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What did you read for the challenge? What were your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?

Stephenia McGee – Giveaway & Endorser Spotlight

Stephenia McGee – Giveaway & Endorser Spotlight

by | Feb 24, 2023 | Counterfeit Hope

Counterfeit Hope was released last week and one thing I always like to do leading up to my release day is to take time to put the spotlight on the authors who endorsed my book. Not only did they sacrifice their time to read it, but they also wrote words that touched my heart and encouraged me. These are authors that I respect and look up to. Authors who know their craft, have been writing far longer than I have, and know what makes a good story. To be endorsed by them is an honor that I cannot express adequately.

For the next two weeks, I am going to continue to spotlight an endorser, share what they have to say about Counterfeit Hope, share more about them, the books they’ve written, and how you can connect with them, as well as give you a chance to win one of their books. At the end of each post, I hope you will leave the author an uplifting note so they may be encouraged just as they have encouraged me.

I am pleased to introduce to you . . .

Stephenia H. McGee

Author of The Swindler’s Daughter

Stephenia H. McGee is a multi-published author of stories of faith, hope, and healing set in the Deep South. She lives in Mississippi, where she is a mom of two rambunctious boys, writer, dreamer, and husband spoiler. Her novel The Cedar Key was a 2021 Faith, Hope, and Love Readers’ Choice award winner. A member of the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), she loves all things books and history. Stephenia also loves connecting with readers and can often be found having fun with her Faithful Readers Team on Facebook.

Connect with Stephenia: Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  BookBub  |  Goodreads  |  Twitter

What Stephenia had to say about Counterfeit Hope:

“Be prepared—this book grips your heart and won’t let go. Caudill pens a captivating story of redemption and second chances in the midst of a fast-paced plot rife with danger. Counterfeit Hope is the kind of book that stays with you long after the final page and leaves you with a satisfied sigh and an enduring sense of hope.”

Purchase Links for Counterfeit Hope: Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  |  Books-A-Million  |  Book Depository  |  Bookshop.org  |  Christianbook  |  Logos  |  Indiebound

Stephenia’s Books

Stephenia has written a TON of books in all sorts of genres, and there is no way that I can feature them all here, but I’m choosing to feature her newest one a couple of my favorites from her.

The Swindler’s Daughter (New Release)

A surprise inheritance. A cache of family secrets. A choice that will change her life forever.

Lillian Doyle has lived her entire high-society life with her widowed mother, believing her father died long ago. But when news arrives that her estranged father only recently passed away–in jail–Lillian is startled to find that the man has left a business and all of his possessions to her, making her a rather unusual heiress.

When she goes to take possession of her father’s house in a backwoods Georgia town, the dilapidated structure is already occupied by another woman who claims it was promised to her son, Jonah. In her attempts to untangle the mess, Lillian will discover not only a family she never knew she had but a family business that is more than meets the eye–and has put a target on her back.

To discover the truth and take hold of the independence she’s always dreamed of, she’ll have to make friends with adversaries and strangers–especially Jonah, the dusty and unrefined cowboy who has secret aspirations of his own.

Purchase Links for The Swindler’s Daughter: Amazon  |  Baker Book House  | Barnes & Noble  |  Books-A-Million  |  Book Despository  |  Christianbook

The Secrets of Emberwild

A gifted trainer in a time women are not allowed to race, Nora Fenton prefers horses to men. They’re easier to handle, they’re more reliable, and they never tell her what to do. After her father’s passing, Nora is determined to save her struggling horse farm, starting with entering her prize colt into the harness races at the 1905 Mississippi Fair. If she wins, she may have a chance at independence. But when a stranger arrives and starts asking disconcerting questions, she suspects he may have other motives than unseating her in the training job that is rightfully hers.

Silas Cavallero will do whatever it takes to solve the mystery of his father’s death–even if it means training an unwieldy colt for Nora, who wants nothing more than to see him gone. But when mysterious accidents threaten their safety and circumstances shrouded in secrets begin unlocking clues to his past, Silas will have to decide if the truth is worth risking ruining everything for the feisty woman he’s come to admire.

A Wagon Train Weekend

An exciting time travel romantic adventure!

In this stirring Christian time-travel series, readers are swept away on romantic adventures throughout history. Each book features new characters who find love in the most unexpected places and can be read in any order.

The Back Inn Time series books are fun, faith-filled stories of what it might be like to suddenly experience life in a different time. These clean historical romances are packed with humor and adventure. Perfect for fans of dual timeline or time slip stories and Christian historical romance, these books answer the question every historical fiction fan wonders—what would it be like if I went back to that time? If you enjoy the wholesomeness of Amish, Western, or frontier fiction and adore romantic comedies, then visit a seaside Victorian inn where you can “step back inn time and leave your troubles behind!”

An Accidental Spy

Captured and mistaken as a spy, can she unravel a conspiracy before her secrets cost a man his life?

Some secrets change the world…

Once a privileged heiress, Annabelle Ross is now struggling to hold her home and her life together through the devastation of the War Between the States. But with a forced marriage and a desolate future on the horizon, her hopes are beginning to dwindle. When she discovers an encrypted note on a dying soldier, she seizes the opportunity to use it to deliver a message of her own. Instead, she’s mistaken for a spy and captured. Now her only chance to escape is the handsome soldier in charge of discovering her secrets.

After his brother is captured by enemy soldiers, Matthew Daniels vows to rescue him at any cost. When a secret society offers him a chance for retribution, Matthew must decide between his loyalties and his convictions. To prove himself, he’ll have to first unmask the spirited spy holding the key to their plans or risk losing his brother forever.

Giveaway

I am giving away one e-book copy of Stephenia’s A Wagon Train Weekend to someone who leaves an encouraging message for Stephenia below between February 24th and May 3rd. The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST and is open to US and international residents legally able to enter (follow your country’s rules). If you would like to earn extra entries, use the Rafflecopter widget below. The only requirement to be entered is that you leave Stephenia an encouraging note on this post. Thank you for participating.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please leave Stephenia an encouraging message below.

 

A Tour of Counterfeit Hope’s Story World

A Tour of Counterfeit Hope’s Story World

by | Feb 21, 2023 | Bonus Content, Counterfeit Hope, History Facts

Why would I set a counterfeiting romantic suspense story in rural Indiana? As usual, research is the answer.

I discovered an article from 1883 describing the successful arrest of the Honchins (or Houchins, depending on the resource) gang by a joint effort of the Secret Service and US Marshals. The gang was responsible for not only counterfeiting but killing stock, stealing, and terrorizing the citizens with threats, insults, and violence. Even the local police were afraid to stand up against them. Stendal was the original town I was going to use, but I ended up creating a sister town next to Stendal so that I could set up the building locations and population to better suit my needs. While the original undercover Secret Service operatives spent months covering three or more counties, I needed to focus my area a little more confined for the sake of plotting. Below you can find information on two real locations from the story, including pictures of my visit to the real Stendal.

Stendal, IN

Stendal owes its beginnings to the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church which was formed in 1861. Services were held in members’ homes until 1864, when a church was built. In 1867, Reverend William G.C. Bauermeister became the first resident pastor. Land was donated to form the town, and he named it Stendal after his birthplace in Saxony.

As is usually the case with rural locations, modern-day Stendal is a shadow of the town it once was. While it was always small compared to other areas, it was once a booming little town. This was largely due to Stendal being many miles from any railroad or waterway with nearly impassible roads and trails, making it necessary to be a self-contained town.

From: A History of Lockhart Township by McKinley Hagemeyer

“Stendal at one time had a tobacco barn, a cooper’s shop, cobbler’s shop, two furniture and casket factories, two blacksmith shops, a millinery, a wagon works, a brickyard, a livery stable, a gristmill, a sawmill, a creamery, a flour mill, a canning factory, three churches, three doctors, an undertaker, a barber shop, a saddle and harness shop, and, of course, few towns would be self-contained without a saloon and hotel. Stendal had those too. The same causes which brought these industries drove them away: bad roads, poor transportation, plus another, automation. When the need for them passed, they too surrendered to progress.”
Photos of my trip to Stendal and photos of Stendal’s glory days.

Boonville, IN

One of my favorite parts of the Boonville setting was visiting the Boonville Jail. Well, visit it in fiction. I never had the pleasure of visiting it in real life. I know there was a big push to have the building restored in 2019, but there have been no more posts from the group pushing for it since then.

The Boonville Jail

The Warrick County Jail was built in 1876 and was state-of-the-art for its time. I had running water for sinks, toilets, and showers. The cells were made of straight and corrugated iron bars. The building had a large yard surrounding it and large windows with glazed glass. The jail was built in two sections. The main level of the front part held a food pantry, kitchen, parlor, and main hall. The upstairs was used as living quarters for the sheriff and his family and space to hold female prisoners. From my understanding, the kitchen had a steel door barrier to the prisoners, and it was the responsibility of the sheriff and his family to cook and serve meals to the prisoners. Meals were cooked for the prisoners and delivered to their cells.

The back half was one and a half stories tall with 12 prison cells. It had high arched ceilings for airflow and to prevent escape attempts. In each lighted and ventilated cell, there were two bunks, a sink, and a toilet. The walls were 22 inches thick and plated on the inside with boiler iron.  Below are a few pictures of the jail.

Here are some pictures of Boonville back in the 19th century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Misty Beller – Giveaway & Endorser Spotlight

Misty Beller – Giveaway & Endorser Spotlight

by | Feb 17, 2023 | Counterfeit Hope

Counterfeit Hope was released this week and one thing I always like to do leading up to my release day is to take time to put the spotlight on the authors who endorsed my book. Not only did they sacrifice their time to read it, but they also wrote words that touched my heart and encouraged me. These are authors that I respect and look up to. Authors who know their craft, have been writing far longer than I have, and know what makes a good story. To be endorsed by them is an honor that I cannot express adequately.

For the next three weeks, I am going to continue to spotlight an endorser, share what they have to say about Counterfeit Hope, share more about them, the books they’ve written, and how you can connect with them, as well as give you a chance to win one of their books. At the end of each post, I hope you will leave the author an uplifting note so they may be encouraged just as they have encouraged me.

I am pleased to introduce to you . . .

Misty M. Beller

Author of Honor’s Mountain Promise

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.

Connect with Misty: Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  BookBub  |  Goodreads

What Misty had to say about Counterfeit Hope:

“Caudill has penned a riveting sophomore novel in Counterfeit Hope. From the first page, the story draws you in with characters who engage all your emotions and a fast-paced plot that carries the story just right. Another novel for the keeper shelf!”

Purchase Links for Counterfeit Hope: Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Books-A-Million  |  Book Depository  |  Bookshop.org  |  Christianbook  |  Logos  |  Indiebound

Misty’s Books

Misty has a plethora of books, and so as is usually the case, these are a few of my favorites from Misty.

A Daughter’s Courage (New Release)

Her quest to repair what’s been broken leads to imminent danger–and soon it’s more than her own life on the line.

After accidentally destroying the intricately carved chalice her people have treasured for over a hundred years, Charlotte Durand sets out in search of a skilled artisan who can repair the damage. What she expected to be a two-day trek becomes much more daunting when a treacherous snowstorm sets in.

Searching for solitude and respite from his troubling past, the last thing Damien Levette needs in the middle of a mountain blizzard is to tend to another person, but he can’t leave behind the mysterious woman he found half frozen at the edge of a mountain lake.

As they battle both the elements and their distrust of each other, Charlotte and Damien must work together to survive the peril of the mountains–or it could be the downfall of them both.

Purchase Links for A Daughter’s Courage: Amazon  |  Baker Book House  | Barnes & Noble  |  Books-A-Million  |  Book Despository  |  Christianbook

The Lady and the Mountain Man

Leah Townsend, a recently orphaned heiress, flees Richmond after discovering her fiancé’s plot to kill her after their wedding. She needs a safe place to hide, and finds herself accepting a newspaper marriage proposal from a God-fearing young rancher in the Montana Territory. But when Leah arrives at the mountain ranch, she learns her intended husband was killed by a grizzly, leaving behind a bitter older brother and a spunky younger sister.

When Gideon Bryant finds a city girl standing in his log cabin, his first thought is to send her back where she came from. He’s lost too many people to the wild elements of these mountains––his parents, his wife, and now his brother. His love for this untamed land lives on, but he’s determined not to open his heart to another person.

But when an accident forces Leah to stay at the ranch for seven more months, can Gideon protect his heart from a love he doesn’t want? Has Leah really escaped the men who seek her life?

 

A Pony Express Romance

Only the fearless ride for the Express.

After growing up as an orphan, Josiah English wants nothing more than to own his own ranch and raise Arabian horses. Riding for the Pony Express seems like the ticket to his dream. And when he meets the stationmaster’s beautiful sister, it seems he may be within reach of the happy life he craves.

Mara Reid is thrilled to finally meet the man she’s prayed for, and the fact that they both want to raise horses in the Sweetwater River valley seems like confirmation straight from God.

But when the Express shuts down and Mara’s family home is in peril, the danger looming over her life may not be half as destructive as that threatening her heart.

From a USA Today bestselling author comes a thrilling tale of love and courage on the western frontier.

 

Freedom in the Mountain Wind

The last epic journey before her life changes forever.

Susanna Wilkins will do anything to make her father’s final dream come true, including trek along the path Lewis and Clark explored into the untamed wilds of the Rocky Mountains. Every mile is more crucial now that lung cancer is stealing Pa’s last days faster than she can come to terms with losing him. The journey becomes harder than she ever expected, but paddling upriver through fierce rapids and fighting hungry grizzlies isn’t what terrifies her the most.

Beaver Tail endured more than he can stand from the women in his Blackfoot camp, but the last disaster gave him the final shove he needed to join this band of brothers searching for one of their group who’s gone missing. The last thing he expected was to find a white woman and her sick father stranded at the base of a massive waterfall. His plan is to help them carry their oversize canoe and supplies, then leave them to their strange mission. Yet, the more he learns about the pair, the more he realizes his life is about to be derailed—again.

From a USA Today bestselling author comes another epic journey through breathless landscapes and adventure so intense, lives will never be the same.

Giveaway

I am giving away one e-book copy of Misty’s Freedom in the Mountain Wind to someone who leaves an encouraging message for Misty below between February 17th and February 24th. The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST and is open to US and international residents legally able to enter (follow your country’s rules). If you would like to earn extra entries, use the Rafflecopter widget below. The only requirement to be entered is that you leave Misty an encouraging note on this post. Thank you for participating.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please leave Misty an encouraging message below.

 

Pin It on Pinterest